Behind the Candelabra actor Michael Douglas says he knows how he contracted a potentially fatal form of throat cancer several years ago.
Asked whether he now regretted his years of smoking and drinking, usually thought to be the cause of the disease, Douglas replied: “No. Because without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV [human papillomavirus], which actually comes about from cunnilingus.”
The actor also says oral sex can help cure the condition once contracted, a theory one doctor contacted by The Guardian called into question.
But [Mahesh Kumar, a consultant head and neck surgeon in London,] expressed scepticism that Douglas’s cancer was caused solely by HPV, and surprise at Douglas’s assertion that cunnilingus could also help cure the condition. “Maybe he thinks that more exposure to the virus will boost his immune system. But medically, that just doesn’t make sense.”
Douglas is currently cancer free and has several film projects in the works.